My understanding is that I am unable to mention many issues contained in this article due to secret court orders: UK judge Gags Palestine Action Defendants to Secure ‘Terror’ Stitch-Up so I won’t do that. What I will say is that the UK government and state has gone to considerable lengths to restrict the rights of Palestine Action defendants and supporters of Palestine Action persecuted for holding signs.
At Woolwich Crown Court, there has been a shocking development in the Filton case, five of the six defence barristers have left the trial following judicial rulings which cannot be reported until the end of the trial.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said today:
“In recent years we have seen judicial rulings that banned climate campaigners from saying the words ‘fuel poverty’ and ‘climate change’ in their trials.
Today we understand a judicial ruling has been given that goes even further, and as a response the legal professionals representing five of the six defendants on trial in the Filton case have no choice but to leave the trial because they have been left with literally nothing they can say in closing arguments.
We should all be alarmed to hear that the legal process has been so corrupted that, today we have lawyers in the UK walking away from a trial because it is impossible for them to do their job of defending their clients.”
The trial of the first six defendants from the group known as the ‘Filton24’ has reached the stage of closing arguments. Five of the six defendants will now be giving their own closing speeches as they have no legal representation.
This is a retrial on charges of criminal damage, after the 6 Filton defendants were acquitted in February 2026 by a jury for the charges of aggravated burglary and violent disorder. The case relates to an action against Elbit’s weapons ‘research and development’ hub in Filton, Bristol, in which they are accused of destroying Israeli quadcopter drones.
Zarah Sultana Exposes ‘Attack on Civil Liberties’ That British Media Can’t Report
More than 200 people have been arrested at the first mass demonstration opposing the proscription of Palestine Action since the group’s ban was ruled unlawful by the high court.
Hundreds of people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square and presented signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Hundreds of demonstrators sat on camping chairs and on the ground as they held up their placards on Saturday afternoon. The Metropolitan police said 212 people had been arrested by 4.50pm, with their ages ranging from 27 to 82.
Some of those sitting down holding signs were dressed as the suffragettes and others wore masks bearing the face of Keir Starmer. Mike Higgins, a blind disabled man whose filmed arrests at previous demonstrations have caused outrage, also took part in the action.
At the top of the square, near the National Gallery, large banners were displayed reading: “Jurors deserve to hear the whole truth” and “Israel starves kids”.
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Protesters celebrate outside the High Court, central London, where Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn have ruled in favour of Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori’s challenge over the ban of the organisation as a terror groupTHOUSANDS of people are expected to demonstrate against the ban on Palestine Action in central London on Saturday despite police lifting their pause on arresting the sit-down sign-holders.
Protest group Defend Our Juries said the demonstration is to show resistance to the ban, which was ruled unlawful by the High Court in February, “is stronger than ever.”
The 60-minute action will see protesters sit silently holding banners reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” in Trafalgar Square from 1pm.
Last month, the Metropolitan Police announced officers would resume arresting suspected Palestine Action supporters, after the High Court ruled the ban unlawful by allowing it to continue pending the outcome of an appeal by the Home Office.
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said: “The protest against the proscription of Palestine Action has grown beyond a question of the right to protest.
“The actions of the UK government and police following the High Court’s ruling expose what many have long known: democracy in the UK is on its knees.
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They added: “This campaign now extends far beyond Palestine Action, beyond Gaza, and beyond the principles of protest and free speech.
“It speaks to a fundamental erosion of the right to dissent and to hold power to account. This is no longer a marginal issue – it concerns everyone who values democratic freedoms.”
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Protesters hold placards outside the High Court, central London, February 13, 2026LIFT the ban on Palestine Action immediately, campaigners urged today, after official data showed terror arrests have surged to their highest level on record since the group’s proscription.
The government’s data shows 3,034 arrests were made in 2025, more than 11 times the 250 in 2024 – 92 per cent of which were linked to supporting Palestine Action after it was proscribed in July.
The proscription – and by association thousands of related arrests – has since been ruled unlawful by judges in a humiliating rebuke for the government.
The Home Office said Palestine Action arrests have driven a shift in the demographics of suspects, as those detained for showing support were more than six times more likely to be women.
And the average age of those arrested for supporting Palestine Action was 59, compared with 31 for other, unrelated terror arrests.
Police forces faced criticism last year for arresting pensioners and people with disabilities by carrying them away with their mobility devices for holding signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
The data also showed that 486 of terror arrests last year, 16 per cent of the total, have led to a charge so far, including 412 linked to Palestine Action.
Members or supporters of the group would face up to 14 years in prison under the ban, which was brought in by then home secretary Yvette Cooper.
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